Brewing with Wild Vermont Hops Ellen Dillenbeck, Lejla Mahmuljin Vermont Hops
❖ Kingdom: 15.1% alpha acid
❖ Northfield: 3.6% alpha acid
❖ Wolcott: 3.8% alpha acid
❖ Control hop - Cascade: 7.7% alpha acid Questions:
1. What kind of flavor will a beer brewed with this hop have?
2. What kind of aroma will a beer brewed with this hop have?
3. How much bitterness will this hop add to the beer?
4. Will a beer brewed with this hop be drinkable?
5. Does this hop have any unique, desirable characteristics? Recipe
We used the same IPA recipe for the Kingdom, Wolcott, and Cascade brews
Desired IBUs: 75
We used a Pale Ale recipe for the Northfield brew due to a shortage of hops
Desired IBUs: 45 Smash Brew: Single Malt
And
Single Hop Ingredients
❖ Best Maltz Pilsner Malt
❖ Gypsum
❖ Wild whole cone hops
❖ Switchback House Ale Yeast Low Mash Temperature
There are two enzymes that break down starch chains to produce fermentable sugars.
Keeping the mash at a low temperature for a long time period allows the enzymes to more efficiently break down starch chains into fermentable sugars. High Water to Grist Ratio
We used a ratio of 1L of water to every 2Kg of grist.
This ratio produces a thin mash.
We wanted to make a light-bodied beer that would allow tasters to focus on the beer’s hop character. Hop Additions
Bitterness: 75 minutes before the end of the boil
Flavoring: 20 minutes before the end of the boil
Aroma: End of boil
Dry Hopping: During primary fermentation Sensory Analysis - Questions
❖ Would you enjoy drinking a beer brewed with this hop?
❖ On a scale from 1-10, 1 being the least bitter and 10 being the most
bitter, how bitter do you think this beer is?
❖ Describe the flavor and aroma characteristics imparted by this hop Would you enjoy drinking a beer brewed with this hop?
Kingdom: Northfield:
44% of respondents said yes 32% of respondents said yes
56% of respondents said no 65% of respondents said no
Wolcott: Cascade:
67% of respondents said yes 32% of respondents said yes
33% of respondents said no 65% of respondents said no On a scale from 1-10, how bitter do you think this beer is? Hop Characteristics
Citrusy Piney
Floral Tropical
Fruity Spicy
Herbal Sweaty
Onion/Garlic Woody Kingdom Hopped Beer Northfield Hopped Beer Wolcott Hopped Beer Cascade Hopped Brew IBU Testing
● International Bitterness Units (IBUs)
● IBUs are a measurement of specific
chemicals, including isomerized alpha acids,
that are known to make beer taste bitter
● Most beers contain between 5 and 120 IBUs International Bitterness Units (IBU) Results Perceived vs Calculated Bitterness Conclusion
Possible Sources of Error
● Possible lab errors in alpha acid calculations ● Switchback house bias
Future Research
● Each batch of beer had different flavors and aromas ● More research and selective breeding will help determine whether these hops have commercial value And now for the results...
Sample 1 - Kingdom Sample 2 - Northfield Please check out our website for the questionnaire results:
Sample 3 - Wolcott https://www.switchbackvt.com/news Sample 4 - Cascade Cheers!